The Harvest is Plentiful

Last week I finished reading Matthew in my Bible reading plan. I’ve studied Matthew plenty before, but one particular passage keeps coming back to my mind this time around. It’s Matthew 9:35-38, where Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

I think this resonates with me because it’s so, so relatable, for me in my own life and just our whole world right now. I keep hearing the advice that if you feel like you have too much to do you should hire someone or outsource, but for so many of the things I’d be willing to let someone else do there just isn’t anyone available. 

Businesses are shutting down not because they don’t have enough customers, but because they can’t hire employees. It seems like every time my church has a program that needs volunteers, it’s a desperate plea to get people to sign up - and I don’t think it’s that no one wants to help, it’s that everyone is so busy already. 

We’ve come to a point where we all expect so much - all the businesses to shop at, all the programs to attend, all the things to do - and I think we’ve created a world where we have more things to do than people to do it. It seems like everyone I know is overworked and overwhelmed and praying for laborers. 

Now, it’s easy to look at one little passage, feel like you relate, and apply it in a way that has nothing to do with what it actually means. So let’s look at the context here. (If you have a Bible handy, it may even be helpful to flip to Matthew 9 to see what I’m talking about.)

First of all, let’s not forget that Jesus was talking about the harvest of souls. When he says to pray for God to send laborers for this harvest, we can definitely apply this to the work of ministry, and furthering God’s kingdom, but for other things we have to consider that he may not be sending laborers because that’s actually not a field that’s important to harvest. 

Next, think about what comes before and after. In chapters 8 & 9 leading up to this, Jesus is teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing. He has compassion on the multitudes of people, which is what prompts his plea for more laborers. And then after, in chapter 10, he calls the twelve disciples and sends them out to teach, proclaim the gospel, and heal. So…his prayer for more laborers is actually answered right there. 

Also, he had compassion on the multitudes because they were “like sheep without a shepherd.” But who is the Good Shepherd? He is, of course. He chooses to use us as co-laborers to help shepherd his sheep and bring in his harvest, but the ultimate responsibility is his. 

So if we read verse 38 on its own, it may sound like a desperate plea for help that we never quite have enough of. But if we look at the context, we see that it’s a prayer that’s already been answered. Rather than affirming our feelings of overwhelm, it quiets them by reminding us that He is the Lord of the harvest and he will provide exactly what we need to accomplish his purposes.